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.But even the stoutest NewOrleanian usually drew the line at eating human flesh.Most days, anyway.Then again, Halloween was just around the corner.If not for the cops, he might think it a prank."They're questioning the kid now.He seems out of it.Like his brains are rattled or something.But youshould have seen the vic's arm.He tore it down to the bone and his classmates said he ate all the fleshlike he was starving for it.You think it could be something voodoo related?"Yeah, anytime something freaky happened, blame the Goth or the voudoun communit-ies 'causenormal people could never be insane.Maybe he should remind the reporter that the infamous serialkiller and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer hadn't been a voodoo worshiper either and Brian, until this, hadbeen a normal jock like the rest of the team.A little dumber than most, but he was a poster child fornormality.Until he tried to eat Scott.Nick moved away from her, closer to the ambulance where they were loading Scott.There was awhite bandage over his arm that was red as more blood seeped through it.Scott was sobbing."All I did was reach for his milk.He could have just said no.He didn't have to eatmy arm.God, I'll never be able to throw a ball again.I'm gonna lose my scholarship, I know it.We'll never make the state championship now.Terry can't throw for squat.Man, the season's over.Why? Why did he do this?"That seemed to be the question."Hey, kid! Get back behind the barricade."Nick nodded to the officer before he obeyed."Hey, Nick!" Frank McDaniel ran up to him."Hear what happened? Brian ate Scott.How cool isthat? Man, I wish I'd seen it.That's what I get for being late to school.I miss all the good stuff thathappens."Jason laughed in agreement."I just hope whatever got into him isn't catching.I don't want no onecoming up and trying to gnaw on my flesh or me going after someone else.Sheez.My mom's a vegan.She grounded me for six months last summer when I ate a cheeseburger at McDonald's.Can youimagine how long she'd ground me for eating a person?"Frank cast a hungry look over to the group where Brynna and Casey were standing."Oh man, if it iscatching, I hope Casey Woods gets it and comes for me.If you gotta die, no better way to go than toget eaten by the head cheerleader."Jason high-fived him."Yeah, all right.Sign me up for that too.I definitely want to be her chew toy."Nick ignored his friends as he caught sight of his lab partner Madaug St.James, who seemed to bemuttering to himself as he stood off to the side of the ambulance.An almost stereotypical nerd,Madaug had a black gamer T-shirt on underneath his blue button-down that had been left open.Hisdishwater blond hair was cropped short and he had large blue eyes that were always covered withthin-rimmed glasses.Even though Nick knew the name was pronounced "Man-dug," he, like most of the people in his class,usually pronounced it "Mad Dog." But that always irritated Madaug and right now he looked agitatedenough."Hey, dude.You all right?"Madaug froze at his question."Uh, yeah.It's terrible, isn't it? "Epically gruesome."Madaug nodded."I can't believe it.I just can't believe it."Neither could Nick."Well, I guess the bright side is you don't have to worry about Scott or Brianpicking on you today in gym class, right?" Last time Nick had been in school, Brian had wornMadaug's gym shorts and then forced Madaug into them after he'd sweated all over them.Gross and nasty.Madaug didn't respond to his question as he continued to fret.Out of the crowd, one loud voice suddenly drowned the others out."I'm telling you people, it's azombie attack.Zto the O to the M to the B to the I, E.Zombie.Open your eyes, people, before it's toolate and he eats someone else.Any of you could be next on the Zombie Apocalypse Menu.Heed mywords and stock up on ammo! I got a new shipment coming in today!"Nick knew that voice.He just wasn't used to hearing it this early in the day.Big Bubba Burdette, the owner of the Triple B store.Wow, and Bubba hadn't burst into flames by getting up this early in the morning.Who knew? He'dhave sworn the man was half vampire.Standing well over six feet tall, Bubba was an interesting mix of redneck and Goth.Case in point, hehad on a Dawn ofthe Dead T-shirt with a red flannel shirt pulled on over it.His baggy jeans were complemen-ted by anice pair of black Doc Martens that were decorated with red skulls.With short black hair and agoatee, Bubba was terrifying to behold.But the minute he opened his mouth and that thick Southerndrawl came out, he looked less like a threat and more like a giant fluffy panda bear.At least so long as you didn't interrupt his watching Oprah in the afternoon.Bubba said anyone dumbenough to do that deserved to have his entrails spilled.And that thick drawl made most people underestimate a man whose IQ was off the charts.In fact, Bubba had graduated at the top of his class from MIT with degrees in both computer scienceand robotics.Now, he owned the Triple B a gun and computer store where you could hire Bubba tohack anything in the world, legal or otherwise, and if that didn't work, he'd shoot it for you just to putit out of your misery.The reporters left Bubba as they tried to interview more students.Bubba spat a bit of his chewing tobacco onto the pavement."That's right, troglodytes, ignore the onlyone who knows what's going on.The only one who knows how to save your putrid, insignificantlives.Go back to your media-induced comas where you believe all the crap spieled by greedypoliticians who control you with ill-conceived lies and consumer-driven distractions.""Aren't those consumer-driven distractions what keep you in business, Bubba?" Nick asked as heapproached him.Bubba narrowed his dark brown eyes on Nick with disgust."Don't sass me, Nick.I'm not a morningperson and I might take my ill mood out on you.""Yeah, I know.So what are you doing up at this hour, anyway?""Haven't slept.Got a call from Fingerman at oh dawn thirty telling me there were zombies on theloose and that he needed reinforcement.So I grabbed my gun and we went hunting in the bayou."Normal people might find this conversation odd, but then all conversations with Bubba were odd, andzombie hunting was just another service he offered at his store."Mark get eaten?""Nah, the little wuss fell asleep on the way back to the store.He's cuddled up in the front seat like aninfant girl, sucking his thumb and holding his jacket tucked under him like a pillow.Don't know what I'm going to do with him."Nick opened his mouth to make another comment when he realized that conversations had stopped.The hair on the back of his neck stood up.Turning his head, he saw Brian being led out of the schoolin handcuffs.Except for the blood marring his letterman's jacket, he looked normal.Completely.Totally.Normal.Yeah, his skin was a little pale and his eyes sunken like he hadn't slept well.But other thanthat.No one could tell he'd tried to eat his best friend.Brian slowed as he neared the captain of the team.Their gazes locked in such a way that it seemedlike they were communicating without speaking.The cops shoved him forward.Brian kept his gaze on the captain until he was forced into the police car.Nick looked at Bubba."Is it just me or was that weird?"Bubba gave him a droll stare."Is there any part of this day that hasn't been weird, boy?"Good point."So what do you think caused this?" 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